Your Tomato Tips

Tomatoes are such a great crop to add to your garden. Give them plenty of sun and water and they’ll reward you for months with their delicious fruits. Whether you’re an heirloom fan or prefer a beefsteak there are always new tips and tricks that you can bring to your garden. We asked you what your top tomato tips were and they sure didn’t disappoint! Here are a selection of your top tomato tips!

Preparation is key:

Kathy: I always spread my homemade compost on my gardens at the start of spring

Michelle: Prepare your soil at least 4-6 weeks in advance before you plant your crop

Vicki: Grow grafted tomatoes for a vigorous plant and excellent cropping

Belinda: I use eggshells to provide calcium for my plants, because my family goes through a lot of eggs. I wash the eggshells, dry them in the sun for a few weeks’ then crush them over the soil a month before planting the tomato plants. Calcium rich soil

Cheryl: My top tip is to plant in different part of the garden each year

Glenda: Prepare the soil. Dig in compost and sheep pellets

At Planting Time:

Dale: Try powdered milk in the seedling hole this season

Helen: Plant deep so plant grows strong and sturdy

Kelly: Plant with a dose of epsom salts and some sheep pellets to give them an early boost.

Linda: Put a spoon of milk powder under the tomato when you plant it then sprinkle coffee grinds around the base regularly. No bugs and great tomatoes

Kara: Add banana peels into the hole before you plant the tomato in

Ján: Bury a fish underneath the plant before planting!

Heather: Cow’s milk on the roots makes healthy plants

Sue: If you live in Wellington, December is not too late to plant tomatoes. You will have them until July. Seriously

Linda: Put the stake in first and plant next to it to avoid damage once the plant is growing

Location, location, location:

Terry: I grow my main tomato plants in our conservatory, lots of sun and warmth

Astrid: We grow our tomatoes around a teepee makes for easy picking and helps the sunlight get through

Bronwyn: Choose the sunniest spot in your garden to plant your tomato plants. Tomatoes LOVE the sun more sun equals more tomatoes

Pip: My Dad always says not to grow them in the same place your grew them the previous season. Not sure if this is a myth but I am still following his advice

Feeding/ Watering:

Dianne: I find liquid seaweed a good tonic for my tomatoes

Rebecca: Deep watering on the roots every few days

Glennis: Water soil not the plant, this will prevent the leaves burning in the sun. The best time to water early morning and top up in the late afternoon early evening if very hot or windy

Linda: Tomato plants watered with Epsom salts, makes them grow tall and taste delicious

Maxie: Make sure you give them enough potash to prevent the hard green areas that can come under the skin

Trish: Water with tepid water

A Helping Hand:

Michelle: Remove the laterals when growing tomatoes to ensure best growth and yield

Elizabeth: My top tip is to trim the lower leaves from the main stem. Saw this at Hamilton gardens and proved that the openness of the plant results in fewer bugs and contamination

Before going into the heart of the subject, know that there is a really unacceptable mistake in the eyes of recruiters and that can make you lose the job of your dreams: spelling mistakes. So if you’re not good at spelling, try to make it simple and get yourself re-read by someone else (or just click for more info this writing website). Never forget that the resume is your business card. The first impression is always decisive and can count for the rest of your application. For this reason, pay the same attention to the content of your CV as to its form. Currently, recruiters enjoy CVs in Word or Pdf format, widely available and easy to download. Even if you master these tools, do not look fancy at all costs to amaze employers (it will depend a lot on your industry). Layouts too original with lots of tables and shapes, or the use of different fonts for each professional experience do not necessarily appeal to all recruiters. Play the card of sobriety and simplicity: do not use five different colors or extravagant fonts. A resume should be read in less than a minute so adjust its length to your experience: if you are a recent graduate, for example, your resume should ideally fit on one page. If you put a picture, take the time to choose it. Evening photos are not the most appropriate, as are the photos of your holiday camps from 10 years ago. Also, watch out for pictures taken with your webcam. Try to have good light and be sure to look after your background: your interior decoration only looks at you!

Kirsten: My best tomato growing tip is don’t go away over summer

Janet: Keep the lower leaves off so the plant has less work to do

Good Neighbours:

Sharon: Companion plant with Basil to keep down bugs

Lesley: Always plant marigolds around each Tomato plant keeps the bugs away.